On the seventeenth day of the first month of Tianxi, Meng Ming had to wear official clothes today, and the official uniforms of the Song Dynasty basically inherited the style of the Tang Dynasty with curved collar (round neck) large sleeves, a horizontal shirt under the hem, a leather belt around the waist, a hood on the head, and boots or leather shoes on the feet. The pattern of the official uniform is divided into grades, the first and second grades of the painted dragon, the third, fourth, and fifth grades are landscapes, and the following are flowers and birds. The imperial court stipulated that purple can only be used if it belongs to the third grade or above, while vermilion is above the fifth grade, green is used for the seventh grade or more, and the nine-grade sesame officials like the county order can only use cyan. In addition to the regulations on the color, the things worn are also regulated, for example, the three-grade officials must wear a fish bag, that is, a small thing hanging from the waist, all officials must wear a hat, and there is also a name called "black yarn", the so-called black yarn hat is from here. Since the marquis is a third-grade official uniform, Meng Ming's official uniform is a three-grade purple official uniform.

The official uniform sent the day before yesterday was a little big, Meng Ming's mother changed it to a little smaller, although Meng Ming was ten years old at this time, it was nearly one meter five, so the changed official uniform was not too big, put on the official uniform, took an ivory pilgrimage, and went to the sedan chair at about six o'clock in the morning, the sky was still dark, and the lantern needed to be carried out. On weekdays, you can only go along the left and right Yemen Street to the East and West Huamen Street to the relevant palace. Today in the early dynasty of the Zichen Palace. Meng Ming's house was quite close to Xihua Gate in the North Lecture Hall Lane, and he arrived a quarter of an hour after leaving the house. Meng Ming was not familiar with the situation for the first time, so he needed to arrive early. Get off the sedan chair from Xihuamen, walk for more than a quarter of an hour (about twenty minutes) along the East and West Huamen Streets, and arrive at the Zichen Palace. At this time, the Zichen Hall was already brightly lit, and there were also many ministers, civil and military squads.

Meng Ming didn't know where he was standing, and in a hurry, he saw a small yellow door come to him and asked, "Is it Meng Houye", Meng Ming said yes, and he led Meng Ming to stand in the front position. Meng Ming stood there stubbornly, saying that it was false not to be nervous, most of the ministers around him looked at him, Meng Ming didn't know most of them, and it was uncomfortable to be watched, just like being looked at as a monkey. Meng Ming calmed down his emotions, closed his eyes slightly, and pretended to fall asleep like an old monk. Whatever, wait and see. I only heard people arriving one after another, and there were also voices greeting them: "Wang Xiang is here", "Ding Xiang is here", "Cao Shumi is here", ......

Meng Ming suddenly felt that someone was standing in front of him, and he opened his eyes. An old man in a purple-clothed official uniform stood in front of him, looked him up and down, and asked, "It's Xiao Meng Chao Fenglang, old man Li Di." Meng Ming was a little confused, whether he was a big coffee, an important minister, or a neighbor. Meng Ming hurriedly bowed forward: "The lower official is rude, please meet Master Li." I saw Li Di and said: "Don't be polite, don't be nervous, the old man is just a little curious, let's take a look, it's really a handsome and polite child." I heard that you are only ten years old, and it is good to have this calmness. With that, he returned to his seat. Then an old man in purple came over and said, "Chao Fenglang, old man Zhang Zhibai, I want to ask you a few questions, and you answer them truthfully." Meng Ming felt that the majesty of a superior person pressed over, I was a Red Dynasty Republic in my previous life, and the great men have all stepped down from the altar, an equal society, and I have also seen high-ranking officials, and my mentality is also very calm. He said without humility or arrogance: "Please teach Master Zhang." I saw that Zhang Zhijie was a little surprised to see Meng Ming's calmness, but quickly returned to normal, and said: "I heard that you are already a student, and you have also won the case, and you have written a few poems, which can be called a masterpiece." Is it true? Meng Ming said yes. He retreated. These two men were the prime minister's choice for the next two years. After that, no one came.

I only heard a voice: "Your Majesty has arrived, the early dynasty has begun", I felt that the time was very difficult, it seemed like a long time, hey, Emperor Zhenzong finally came. I saw the Son of Heaven sitting on the dragon chair, with a red shirt and dragon robe, a rhino gold and jade ring belt, and a black gauze hat, dressed concisely and atmosphericly. I only heard Huangmen say: "There is something to play, nothing is to retreat." I only heard a shout: "The minister Ruoqin has something to play", and Zhenzong said: "Quasi-playing". Wang Ruoqin said: "Today's discussion of auspicious rui, the remaining auspicious rui has been transported from Weizhou, has been delivered to Sinong Temple, and has been stored. Just wait for next year's trial planting and retention. ”

Zhenzong suddenly asked: "Is Meng Ming coming?" Huangmen said that he was coming, Zhenzong said Xuan, only to hear Huangmen shouting: "Xuan Mengming is coming." When Meng Ming heard this, he hurriedly bowed forward and shouted: "Minister Meng Ming knocks to see my emperor, long live my emperor, long live, long live, long live." After shouting, the hall was silent, Meng Ming looked up, and the ministers looked at each other in surprise; The emperor was also full of weirdness. Hey, it's ugly, maybe I saw the drama and was poisoned. The Song Dynasty pilgrimage ceremony may not be like this, I think of course, now I can't find a crack in the ground to get into. The emperor came back to his senses first, and said teasingly: "Meng Aiqing, it's really different, where did you learn strange etiquette, but I like it, but I am young and smart, not inferior to Yan Qing's family back then, I read that you have made great contributions to the court, and you will be given a seat." I saw a small yellow door running a stool, Meng Ming hurriedly thanked him, and sat down to wait.

In the end, Wang Ruoqin, Ding Wei, and Xiang Minzhong, the three deputy ministers (Governor of Political Affairs) drafted a plan for the disposal of Xiangrui. Presented to the official family, the official family issued a decree for approval, and the political knowledge hall issued and implemented. Now that the Spring Festival is approaching, Quasi-Meng Ming will report to Sinong Temple after the New Year. In the end, Meng Ming bowed his head and walked out of the hall, only to hear someone call him: "Meng Sicheng, please stay", Meng Ming looked back at Wang Ruoqin, and hurriedly stopped, only to see that Wang Ruoqin had a sarcoma on his neck, and his eyes were "gall". Wang Ruoqin came and said: "Meng Sicheng, the old man stopped you, because he had some confusion about auspiciousness, and he came to ask for advice." In the end, Meng Ming answered one by one, and finally Wang Ruoqin left satisfied, and also encouraged Meng Ming. But Meng Ming was vigilant, in history, Wang Ruoqin was a traitorous minister, a treacherous and sinister person, and one of the "five ghosts" in the Zhenzong period. Among them is Ding Wei, he will be cautious in the future. Thinking about it, Meng Ming went home.

Meng Ming didn't have to go to Sinong Temple to work a year ago, and then the imperial court was going to have a holiday, and now he was very idle, so he was thinking about opening a printing hall at home, Meng Ming told his father and mother about this idea, and the second elder was quite supportive. Now he is ready to typeset with movable wooden type. Catalpa wood is chosen because it is tough, dense, delicate and not easy to wear and deform. It just so happened that there was a carpenter in the family, named Zhang Dayong, who had excellent craftsmanship and had worked as a carver before. Meng Ming designed the "movable type board rhyme wheel", the wooden movable type is arranged on the rotary wheel typesetting frame according to the rhyme, and the wheel rotates the wheel to take the word when typesetting, saving time and effort. Meng Ming called Zhang Dayong and told him the size of the wooden type, he understood as soon as he heard it, and engraved three words in a quarter of an hour, and then he carved all the catalpa boards with reverse characters, and then divided them.

Meng Ming prepared to print the Analects, which commonly used 1,315 characters, with a total of 15,900 words. In the end, I asked Zhang Dayong to add people, the salary was twice as much as the outside carvers, and he found 18 relatives and friends to do the carving, signed a confidentiality contract, and handed over the violators to the government for disposal. Together, these carvers carved the movable type of the Analects. I asked them to divide the work, there are lettering, there are divisions, there are polishing, to improve efficiency, and most importantly, I want to add punctuation.

In the past few days, Meng Ming has found a shop on the old Caomen Street, which turned out to be a grocery store and a yard, which is enough to be a printing office. He arranged all the craftsmen here, and took care of three meals a day, and the meals were more sumptuous. The craftsmen are more satisfied. On the twenty-sixth day of the lunar month, the movable type typesetting was completed, and the ink Meng Ming was also matched. Meng Ming rearranged the internal process. In the end, these people were willing to stay and work, and he appointed Zhang Dayong as the head of the movable type engraver, mainly responsible for carving the commonly used movable type, about 10,000 words; The printing director is a person surnamed Huang, named Huang Youfu, who has been engaged in printing for more than ten years, signed a three-year contract and confidentiality agreement with Meng Ming, and is responsible for typesetting, printing, and binding into books; The shopkeeper is served by someone in the house, called Han Ziyi, Tongsheng. I don't care after the arrangement, my father is a big boss. He was going to write a few books and sell them. Because movable type printing will be popularized in the future, it will not be kept secret for long, at most two years. Be prepared for danger in times of peace, write a script, print it, and make money if you take a step in advance. I'll finish writing "Strange Tales from Liaozhai" first, print it, and it will definitely be a big hit. The follow-up "Journey to the West", "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Romance of the Gods", "Three Heroes and Five Righteousness" and so on. These are going to be on fire.

The imperial court is on holiday, and the family is busy, preparing ingredients, cleaning, ancestor worship preparations, and so on. The imperial court gave Meng Ming an imperial village, with 2,000 acres of fertile land, Meng Ming has not been there, but Qin Lilai, the head of the village, has given a New Year's gift, and there is a list of gifts: livestock and poultry: four sheep, one hundred and twenty chickens, eighty ducks, forty geese, and sixty rabbits; All kinds of game: four pigs, one hundred and fifty quails, four deer, four roe deer, two yellow sheep, two wild boars; Aquatic products: 50 catties of fish and shrimp, 20 soft-shelled turtles, 30 catties of puffer fish, and 50 catties of crabs; Vegetables: winter melon, yam, bean sprouts, cabbage, radish and dried goods. Meng Ming asked Jiao Fu to take the inventory and dispose of it according to the list. Ten taels of silver were rewarded to the chief of Qin, and two hundred taels of silver were handed over to the chief of silver, which were distributed to the residents of Huangzhuang for the New Year. After thanking him, Director Qin took people away. Meng Ming also went to the Jade Cicada, he was very busy during this time, and he didn't look at her, the Jade Cicada's room was quiet, and he was not there. Meng Ming pushed the door and shouted, "Is the jade cicada there?" There was no response, as soon as he entered, he was blindfolded with a pair of jade hands, Meng Ming knew that it was a jade cicada, and now the jade cicada is more lively, I turned around and hugged her thin waist, picked her up and turned around a few times, and her head touched a soft mass. Jade Cicada hurriedly said: "Brother Ming, don't make trouble, let me go quickly, it's not good for people to see." Meng Ming put her down, and when he saw a blush on her face, he pinched her Qiong's nose. After talking to her, I asked people to send New Year's gifts, silk and satin, mountain delicacies, and rare treasures.